Challenge: The Second Humanity
by CorpesKing
Summary: While searching for resources to sustain their people the Quarians discover a long lost relay hidden on the very edge of the galaxy. May the gods have mercy, for the USSC shall show non to any who threaten there new allies the Reapers have been warned.
1. Challenge

**Challenge: The Second Humanity**

 **Hey Everybody CorpesKing here first let me start out by saying that is my first entry on this site or any site and that I am by no means a writer, but I am someone with an overactive imagination and lots of inspiration.**

 **This is a first time idea I know for a fact there is no one on this site with it I checked. So here it goes this is a HaloxMass Effect Crossover and beyond the starting ideas you can do whatever you want with this story.**

 **For this story in the ancient times of the Precursors the Predecessors of the Forerunners the Precursors in there earliest attempts to create life created the Leviathans and released them into the galaxy. Millennia later during the rain of the Human Empire and the Forerunners the Reapers came to their section of the galaxy but were overwhelmed and forced back. Out of fear the Reapers locked the Relay to their section of the galaxy and hid it within an asteroid belt in the outer rim of the galaxy to stop other species from reaching them (because obviously they could still reach them haa Slipspace rocks). Thousands of years later 100 or so years after the events of Halo 3 and just after Shanxi colony (Tali would be around 4-5) the Quarrians while scouting an asteroid belt for resources discover the long lost Halo Relay and accidentally activate it coming into contact with the USSC (United Species Space Command). Entering into an alliance with the Quarrians the USSC decide to keep their existence and (thanks to the Ark) their far more advanced civilization a secret from the Citadel Council. Years later the events of mass effect two cause Tali to have to bring the Normandy and her crew to the flotilla. How will the galaxy react to the revelation of a second galactic superpower more advanced than even the reapers? How will they react to the discovery of a second humanity? Will the council rediscover a remnant of the Flood? What will happen when the Krogan meet the Jiralhanae? What if Grunt got his hands on a Gravity Hammer. You decide!**

 **Please allow all Covenant species to be a part of the USSC (you can drop the prophet race if you want).**

 **Master Chief and Cortana must be involved none of that Cortana dies stuff.**

 **I hope to see you bring this idea of mine to life soon, I know a great many of you are brilliant writers so I hope to see what you will do.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Lost Relay

**Challenge: The Second Humanity**

 **Hey everyone I decided that I'm going to attempt to write the first chapter of my challenge The Second Humanity remember this is my first story so no flames please, though I will accept constructive criticism.**

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Chapter 1: The Lost Relay

Titan Nebula, the Migrant Fleet:

Deep within the Terminus Space at the very edge of the galaxy drifting in space was one of the largest space faring fleets in the galaxy the Quarian Migrant Fleet. Comprised of over 50,000 ships this fleet was home to almost every Quarian in the galaxy. However despite its massive size it was more than obvious that almost all of the ships were easily more than a hundred years old and little more than patchwork jobs at that point, more than a few of the ships trailing flame and eezo showing evidence of a recant battle.

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Aboard the Quarian Command Ship "Spirit of Rannoch"

"Admiral all surviving ships have been accounted for, however reports indicate that we lost four of our resource ships in the battle" spoke a blue armored Quarian from his post in the command deck. "Keelah four resource ships that's months of our food and medical supplies gone"! exclaimed Admiral Rael'Zorah in shock, before he quickly began to grow angry. "DAME THEM, DAME THE GETH, DAME THE ADMIRLTY BOARD… sigh, whose idea was it to place those ships so close to the edge of the fleet when we were that close to the Vale"? "I don't know sir, but what are we going to do about our resources sir were going to need to stop and resupply somehow" spoke the blue armored Quarian depressingly already knowing the chances of finding a place to restock were low and the chances of finding someone willing to help them was even lower.

"I don't know Kal; maybe I can convince the rest of the admiralty board to risk landing some ships on a nearby planet to look for some resources there, we both know that that on one will help us especially the Council" Rael all but spat the last word. "Let's go we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to get the fleet back in order, and I have to go and check on Tali as well". "Your daughter sir?" asked Kal curiously "if I might ask sir how old is she" inquired Kal, "five, she just turned five". "Oh" Kal spoke has he and the Rael left the bridge to prepare for the storm that was about to come.

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Time Skip: 3 days later aboard a Quarian scout ship.

"Sir why did we get stuck with this job again I mean I know that it's important and all but scouting an asteroid belt? I don't think we could get a more boring job if we tried" said a young Quarian marine as he fiddled with the ships scanning system. "I know it's not the most exiting job but we need resources and scans show that this belt contains a large amount of precious metals and even some element zero" Kal vas Nubaria stated as he stared at the surrounding asteroids through the ships view port.

Time Skip: 2 hours

In the past several hours the crew of the scout ship had been able to find and mark several dozen asteroids that registered as sources of rare metals like Palladium, and Iridium. Currently they were tracking a rather large source of element zero that appeared to be located with an extremely large asteroid in the middle of the field. "Sir were approaching the asteroid now beginning scan… so far everything appears normal sir no sign of the eleme… huh what is that" asked the young marine in shock and surprise. "What is it private what did you find" asked Kal an edge in his voice as he prepared for trouble. "I don't know sir the scanner is picking up something metallic inside the asteroid, it reading as some type of machine" stated the young marine an undertone of curiosity and excitement in his voice 'Mabey this won't be so boring after all' he thought.

"Sir I'm increasing the scanners power I'm going to try to see just what that thing down there is" he stated. "Okay just take it slow and be caref…" Kal was suddenly cut off as alarms began to sound through the ship "marine status report what is happening"! "I don't know sir the scanners are going crazy whatever that think is I think it's powering up" replied the marine a hint of fear in his voice. "Then get us the hell out of here now we can come back and see what it is later preferably when we have a ship with guns" exclaimed Kal in a commanding voice "YES SIR" replied the rest of the crew.

As the ship began to retreat from the scene the crew watched as the small moon sized asteroid began to slowly break apart as whatever was inside it began to force its way out. "Sir I'm getting another signal from the scanner it says that the construct is… oh Keelah" the marine breathed out in a strange mixture of shock, fear, and awe as his eyes visibly widened behind his purple visor. "What is it marine tell me" "SIR LOOK, something is emerging from the rubble of the asteroid" one of the helmsmen shouted. As Kal moved to the port window to see what was happening the marine finally managed to regain his barring as a silhouette began to emerge for the dust cloud through up by the asteroids destruction. "S-sir the re-readings say that t-the construct i-is, is a" just he was about to finish the construct was fully revealed to the rest of the crew as they all gasped in shock, "Mass Relay" finished the marine in a hushed whisper.

Indeed the construct was a mass relay but it was far different than any relay they had seen before. Where a normal relay would be a white silver in colour with a large core of blue energy in the centre this one was the opposite. Deep black in colour the relay had multiple lines of red energy running along its length while the core was a deep blood red like the famous Omega Relay (A.N. like a sovereign class reaper only shaped like well a relay rather than a squid). Looking at the newly discovered, activated, and intimidating relay Kal vas Nubaria could utter in a hushed whisper "what have we just unleashed"?

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Somewhere in Uncharted Space

Off in the distance one can see a small brown and green planet that looked horrible scared, its surface riddled with deep burns as if something had once tried to raze the planet. Surrounding the planet was a near endless graveyard of destroyed ships and other debris. On the left side of the planet you could see a small moon that suddenly began to break apart from the inside out. Out of the now half destroyed moon emerged a construct made of black metal with a red core of energy in the shape of tuning fork pointing into the unknown.

In the debris field on the other side of the planet if one looked closely they could see a metal board floating amongst the wreckage on its side written in broad white letters was "IN MEMORY OF HARVEST; THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN".

 **Done, Wow my first ever fanfiction I feel slightly giddy, any way I hope you like it I've been thinking about it for a long time now. No flames please. I would also like to remind everyone reading this that this is a CHALLENGE meaning despite the fact that I'm going to write a few chapters of the story myself I want some else to attempt it as well. Remember only the beginnings to the stories have to be similar where it would go form there is up to you.**


	3. Chapter 2: History, and a Response

**Challenge: The Second Humanity**

 **Hey everybody I'm back and I must say 15 favorites and 23 follows in less than 16 hours I'm really touched and it's inspired me to set aside my plans for today to write this new chapter. Also I am happy with the reviews that I've gotten from those of you that posted them.**

 **Before I forget tell me what you think of giving Grunt a Gravity Hammer because I've had this image of Grunt playing wack o mole with a thresher maw in my head since I got up this morning.**

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Previously:

 _Somewhere in Uncharted Space_

 _Off in the distance one can see a small brown and green planet that looked horrible scared, its surface riddled with deep burns as if something had once tried to raze the planet. Surrounding the planet was a near endless graveyard of destroyed ships and other debris. On the left side of the planet you could see a small moon that suddenly began to break apart from the inside out. Out of the now half destroyed moon emerged a construct made of black metal with a red core of energy in the shape of tuning fork pointing into the unknown._

 _In the debris field on the other side of the planet if one looked closely they could see a metal board floating amongst the wreckage on its side written in broad white letters was "IN MEMORY OF HARVEST; THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN"._

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Chapter 2: History, and a Response

USSC Central Command, Ark, 2 hours after Relay activation.

Standing by the window of his office Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood look out at was without a doubt the single greatest feat of mechanical and bio-mechanical (A.N. the Halos and Ark have Earth like ecosystems thus bio-mechanical) engineering in the known galaxy, as well as the greatest source of technological advancement for all USSC races. Looking back Hood remembered how after the end of the war and the death of Truth the remaining Covenant races bar the Jiralhanae and the San 'Shyuum once more joined under the Sangheili race and established the Sangheili Empire with Thal 'Vadam as the leader. Soon after the empires establishment and the signing of a treaty between them and the UNSC a small UNSC scout ship had rediscovered the Ark. Socked to find that it was undamaged a reconnaissance team was deployed to examine the Ark and search for any surviving flood on the construct.

During the search the team came across the monitor of the instillation which identified itself as 243 Wisdoms Soul and then informed them that all flood aboard the instillation had been terminated. During the following months the UNSC gained access to all the Ark had to offer including its 'library'. In the following years with the technology provided by the Ark as well as the discovery of other Forerunner installations thanks to its database human technology advanced at an unprecedented rate, where before FTL travel between places like Earth and Reach would take months now they took mere hours. Medicinal Advancement led to the development of a serum that could lengthen the human life span up to 500 years, still not as long as a Forerunners life span but it was still a previously thought impossible age for humans.

The Arks 'Library' also provided a mass of information about the galaxy during the Forerunners time. It contained what amounted to a complete history of the Forerunners as well as what little information on the Precursors still remained. But the most shocking was the information on the Human Empire, its relation to the Forerunners and the Human colony Terra Prime. According to the records humans were once a space faring race on par with the Forerunners, but it was Terra Prime that grabbed the attention of the UNSC the most. Terra Prime was for all attempts and purposes a second Earth identical to the original in every way from the composition of its atmosphere to its position in its solar system. It was considered a miracle of evolution and was quickly colonized by the ancient Human Empire. Unfortunately by that point the Human Forerunner war was under way and all contact with the colony was apparently lost along with is coordinates.

Things were relatively calm for the UNSC after that for the next 30 years. Then exactly 35 years after the end of the Covenant Human War the Sangheili Empire merged with the UNSC to become a new galactic superpower called the United Species Space Command or USSC for short. The next big shock occurred an additional 15 years after that when the Jiralhanae and San 'Shyuum races requested to join the USSC, despite tensions between the two races and the rest of the USSC species being high in the spirit of the Mantle of Responsibility the two races were allowed to join and were give equal status to the rest of the USSC races.

Lord Hood sighed as he removed himself from his momentary trip to the past to focus on the current situation he was just informed of. Now more than 100 years after the end of the war and only fifty since the formation of the USSC an unidentified construct had been located near what now remained of Harvest's moon. " _Harvest the site of first contact between the UNSC and the Covenant, the start of that horrible war and now this, hehehe I'm beginning to think that system is cursed_ " thought Lord Hood as he walked slowly to the council chambers were he would discuss the USSC next course of action in this situation.

Entering the Council Chamber Lord Hood sighed as he looked at the squabbling representatives and leaders already inside. "SILENCE" commanded Lord Hood as he quieted the room "now I believe that you have all been briefed on the current situation at Harvest". Hearing the murmurs of conformation inside the room Hood continued "good than as you all know at approximately two hours ago at 0400 hours an unidentified alien construct appeared in orbit around Harvest all but destroying Harvests moon". "Do you know who was responsible and for what purpose the moon was destroyed, and if so is the species responsible hostile" questioned Thal 'Vadam the representative and leader of the Sangheili people questioned. "If those responsible are hostile the army is always ready to defend the USSC from all threats" spoke Sierra 117 the current leader of the USSC's combined military might. "And do what you old caveman go in swinging with that old club of yours" spoke Cortana the representative of the AI Nation the collective of all active AI's in USSC space in joking tone toward her old friend and partner.

"No there is no need to worry preliminary scans shows that it is possible that the construct was actually inside the moon and removed itself when it activated" spoke Lord Hood. "Then what activated it" "and what is does it do" spoke Uppua and Sav-Ur the representatives of the Unggoy and Kig-Yar respectively. "ONI suspects that the construct is some form of FTL device that seem to work in the same way as a Relay, it is most likely that it activated when someone on the other side activated its counterpart" spoke Lord hood as he brought an image of the black Relay up on the nearby holo terminal.

Murmurings were herd throughout the room at the site of the image before it was broken by Igido Korso Namir the representative of the Mgalekgolo and Lekgolo " _We wonder what actions you will now take_ " he rumbled (A.N I thought a Hunter should talk using the terms 'us' or 'we' rather than I or me because they are in fact made of thousands of individual beings linked together sort of like Legion, also its stated in a few books that they have trouble speaking thus the slightly broken speech). "We have decided to send a Prowler the 'USC Reach' through the relay to establish whether the species on the other side is peaceful and to establish first contact if it is" answered Lord Hood calmly. "Smart the prowler is equipped with new active stealth technology and should be able to escape should the species prove hostile, I approve" spoke the Prophet of the Reclamation the representative of the San 'Shyuum people calmly. "Then it's agreed we will wait for word from the 'Reach' then" asked Hood as murmurs of agreement were spoken through the room.

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Aboard the USC Reach

"Sir we are approaching the construct" spoke a young naval officer form his positon on the bridge. "Good bring us in slowly" spoke the ships commander from his own console " _and pray to god this thing doesn't blow us up when we do_ " he added as an afterthought. As the 'USC Reach' slowly approached the Relay, suddenly an arc of red energy came out of the device and struck the ship shooting it off into the unknown forever changing the fate of the known galaxy.

 **Wow, finally done over 1500 words here you go readers I hope you enjoy and please remember no flames, though I will accept constructive criticism. CorpesKing Out.**


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